On the Alignment and Focusing of the Marshall Grazing Incidence X-Ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS)
No abstract available
x-ray↗
Engineering topics
McCracken, Jeff
Publications and source records attributed to McCracken, Jeff.
On the Alignment and Focusing of the Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS)
The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) is a NASA sounding rocket instrument that is designed to observe soft X-ray emissions from 24 - 6.0 A (0.5 - 2.0 keV energies) in the solar atmosphere. For the rst time, high-temperature, low-emission plasma will be observed directly with 5 arcsecond spatial resolution and 22 mA spectral resolution. The unique optical design consists of a Wolter - I telescope and a 3-optic grazing- incidence spectrometer. The spectrometer utilizes a nite conjugate mirror pair and a blazed planar, varied line spaced grating, which is directly printed on a silicon substrate using e-beam lithography. The grating design is being nalized and the grating will be fabricated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Izentis LLC. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is producing the nickel replicated telescope and spectrometer mirrors using the same facilities and techniques as those developed for the ART-XC and FOXSI mirrors. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) will mount and align the optical sub-assemblies based on previous experience with similar instruments, such as the Hinode X-Ray Telescope (XRT). The telescope and spectrometer assembly will be aligned in visible light through the implementation of a theodolite and reference mirrors, in addition to the centroid detector assembly (CDA) { a device designed to align the AXAF-I nested mirrors. Focusing of the telescope and spectrometer will be achieved using the X-ray source in the Stray Light Facility (SLF) at MSFC. We present results from an alignment sensitivity analysis performed on the on the system and we also discuss the method for aligning and focusing MaGIXS.
solar↗
Grazing Incidence Optics Technology
This project is to demonstrate the capability to directly fabricate lightweight, high-resolution, grazing-incidence x-ray optics using a commercially available robotic polishing machine. Typical x-ray optics production at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) uses a replication process in which metal mirrors are electroformed on to figured and polished mandrels from which they are later removed. The attraction of this process is that multiple copies can be made from a single master. The drawback is that the replication process limits the angular resolution that can be attained. By directly fabricating each shell, errors inherent in the replication process are removed. The principal challenge now becomes how to support the mirror shell during all aspects of fabrication, including the necessary metrology to converge on the required mirror performance specifications. This program makes use of a Zeeko seven-axis computer-controlled polishing machine (see fig. 1) and supporting fabrication, metrology, and test equipment at MSFC. The overall development plan calls for proof-of-concept demonstration with relatively thick mirror shells (5-6 mm, fig. 2) which are straightforward to support and then a transition to much thinner shells (2-3 mm), which are an order of magnitude thinner than those used for Chandra. Both glass and metal substrates are being investigated. Currently, a thick glass shell is being figured. This has enabled experience to be gained with programming and operating the polishing machine without worrying about shell distortions or breakage. It has also allowed time for more complex support mechanisms for figuring/ polishing and metrology to be designed for the more challenging thinner shells. These are now in fabrication. Figure 1: Zeeko polishing machine.
Ramsey, Brian↗
Astronomical Roentgen Telescope X-ray Concentrator (ART-XC) Project Status
No abstract available
Gubarev, Mikhail↗
Technique for Radiometer and Antenna Array Calibration - TRAAC
Highly sensitive receivers are used to detect minute amounts of emitted electromagnetic energy. Calibration of these receivers is vital to the accuracy of the measurements. Traditional calibration techniques depend on calibration reference internal to the receivers as reference for the calibration of the observed electromagnetic energy. Such methods can only calibrate errors in measurement introduced by the receiver only. The disadvantage of these existing methods is that they cannot account for errors introduced by devices, such as antennas, used for capturing electromagnetic radiation. This severely limits the types of antennas that can be used to make measurements with a high degree of accuracy. Complex antenna systems, such as electronically steerable antennas (also known as phased arrays), while offering potentially significant advantages, suffer from a lack of a reliable and accurate calibration technique. The proximity of antenna elements in an array results in interaction between the electromagnetic fields radiated (or received) by the individual elements. This phenomenon is called mutual coupling. The new calibration method uses a known noise source as a calibration load to determine the instantaneous characteristics of the antenna. The noise source is emitted from one element of the antenna array and received by all the other elements due to mutual coupling. This received noise is used as a calibration standard to monitor the stability of the antenna electronics.
Meyer, Paul↗
Cryogenic Test Capability at Marshall Space Flight Center's X-ray Cryogenic Test Facility
Marshall Space Flight Center's X-ray & Cryogenic Test Facility (XRCF) has been performing sub-liquid nitrogen temperature testing since 1999. Optical wavefront measurement, thermal structural deformation, mechanism functional & calibration, and simple cryo-conditioning tests have been completed. Recent modifications have been made to the facility in support of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) program. The chamber's payload envelope and the facility s refrigeration capacity have both been increased. Modifications have also been made to the optical instrumentation area improving access for both the installation and operation of optical instrumentation outside the vacuum chamber. The facility's capabilities, configuration, and performance data will be presented.
Kegley, Jeffrey↗
Improved Cryogenic Optical Test Capability at Marshall Space Flight Center's X-ray Cryogenic Test Facility
Marshall Space Flight Center's X-ray & Cryogenic Test Facility (XRCF) has been performing optical wavefront testing and thermal structural deformation testing at subliquid nitrogen cryogenic temperatures since 1999. Recent modifications have been made to the facility in support of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) program. The test article envelope and the chamber's refrigeration capacity have both been increased. A new larger helium-cooled enclosure has been added to the existing enclosure increasing both the cross-sectional area and the length. This new enclosure is capable of supporting six JWST Primary Mirror Segment Assemblies. A second helium refrigeration system has been installed essentially doubling the cooling capacity available at the facility. Modifications have also been made to the optical instrumentation area. Improved access is now available for both the installation and operation of optical instrumentation outside the vacuum chamber. Chamber configuration, specifications, and performance data will be presented.
Kegley, Jeffrey↗